The Triune God creates all things in six
regular days. Mankind (Adam and Eve), created in God’s image – perfectly holy
and without sin - are the crown of God’s creation. God gives them dominion over
all creation and the happy duty of being stewards of the Garden of Eden.
Perfect harmony exists between God and man.

In this
lesson, mankind (the crown of God’s creation) fails to show his love to God,
fails in following God’s will, i.e., he SINS!Sin offends the holy and almighty
creator (Elohim),
but He is also a gracious God who provides a Savior (Jehovah)
for His fallen creation.

The story of
Cain and Abel teaches that sin grows inwardly
by
showing how the sin began in the heart with hatred and then developed and led to
the action of murder. The next lesson (the Flood) will teach that sin grows
outwardly
by
showing the outward manifestation of sin in the people of Noah’s time. Genesis
chapters 3-8 are God’s instruction in the reality of sin…but also of His grace.

Because of the
wickedness of the people, God decided to destroy them. God spared Noah and his
family and told him to build an ark. Into this ark Noah was to take his family,
a pair of every creature on earth, and food to feed them all. God sent a flood
which covered the highest mountains. All land creatures and birds not in the ark
died. Just over a year later the earth had dried and all in the ark came out.
God promised never to send such a flood again.

Following the flood, mankind shows its ongoing sinful
nature by seeking to make a name for themselves, rather than glorifying the one
true God. Out of undeserved love, God stops their evil plan by giving them
different languages.

Abram, the
father of the Jews, stands as the premier example of God's ways with sinners—the
way of salvation prompted by God's grace. God directs and blesses Abram’s life
so that the promise of the Messiah takes place in time. By faith Abram believed
God’s promise: “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

When God first came to Abraham and asked him to leave his
home and family, He promised to be with him and to bless him. Here, despite
their old age, the LORD promises to give Abraham and Sarah an heir – a son
through whom God will carry out His promise of grace – the sending of the
Messiah Jesus Christ.

This is a continuation of the
previous lesson. The three men (two angels and the Son of God) are now about to
leave Abraham. God had decided to destroy the wicked cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah because of their great sinfulness. Abraham prays for the ungrateful
people of Sodom and thereby rescues Lot (Abraham’s brother-in-law). By faith
Abraham believed in salvation by grace.

God fulfills His promise to Abraham and Sarah with the
miraculous gift of a son, Isaac, in their old age. God tests Abraham's faith
with the command to sacrifice Isaac. God provides the substitute sacrifice for
all of us in Jesus Christ our Savior.

This is God's
record of how He manages our affairs even in spite of the mistakes that humans
make due to their selfishness. The events of Isaac and his son Jacob’s lives
turned out the way God wanted them to turn out, despite their sinful plans. In
this lesson we learn that God is the Author and Finisher of our salvation.

Due to the results of sinful family deceptions in the
family of Isaac, son Jacob is forced to flee from the wrath of his brother
Esau. Along this journey Jacob has a dream. From this lesson we see God’s
mercy, Jacob’s repentance, and God’s favor towards Jacob, and His reassurance to
him of His promises of the Messiah.

Although Jacob
returns a wealthy man, his past sins against his brother Esau worry him. In a
wrestling match with Jacob, God shows He there to answer our prayers working
with us, not against us. Jacob is given the name “Israel.” God preserves and
blesses Jacob because He had promised to send the Promised Savior through the
family of Jacob's son, Judah.

Jacob’s son Joseph is envied by his
10 older brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt. God shows His saving mercy by
using their wicked act to carry out His plan to rescue the family of Israel
(Jacob) and keep His promise to send the Savior through their ancestors.

God gives Joseph the faith to
resist Potiphar’s wife; God gives Joseph the ability to interpret dreams; God
blesses Joseph even while he was in prison; God carries out His plan to make
Joseph a ruler in Egypt. God guides and blesses Joseph’s life according to His
plan for the salvation of mankind. As God guided and blessed Joseph’s life, so
our Lord guides our lives for our good.

This story represents the first
step in God’s chastening of the ten brothers who had treated Joseph so
shamefully. Joseph’s actions toward his brothers were not done out of hate but
love. Joseph, a God-fearing man, was deeply concerned for the spiritual welfare
of his brothers. Joseph's acceptance of what God had allowed to come into his
life, together with his loving forgiveness toward his brothers, serves as a
model for all who would follow.

Here we clearly see the love and
forgiveness God has for us and that we should have for one another. The first
part of this lesson shows the repentance of the brothers (turning from sin and
in faith turning to God for forgiveness); also the forgiving nature of our Lord
and the excellent example provided by Joseph. In faith Joseph realized that
what had happened to him God worked for the good of him and his family.

Many years had passed since Joseph
had been sold into slavery by his brothers. Jacob (Israel) was now 130 years
old. The Lord directed him to make the journey to Egypt because of the famine
in his homeland. There the Lord promised to make of him a great nation. With
Joseph as His key human instrument, God preserved alive His chosen people and
builds the nation which would bring forth the Messiah.

It is estimated that the
descendants of Jacob now numbered between two and three million people. There
arose a fear that the people of Israel would become more powerful than the
Egyptians and dominate them. This resulted in putting in place various
work-related practices that grievously burdened the people of Israel. They also
tried to limit the growth of the nation of Israel or possibly bring it to
extinction by ordering all of the male infants killed at birth. So God began
His plan of deliverance of the people of Israel.

In these chapters, we read of Moses’ upbringing in Egypt,
his flight after his crime of murder, and God’s Call to Moses from the Burning
Bush to lead the Children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt. This is a
picture of God’s larger plan to rescue mankind from the captivity of their sin
through His Servant Jesus Christ.

God sends Moses and his brother Aaron to Pharaoh of Egypt
with the command to let the Children of Israel go free. Pharaoh refuses to
acknowledge the LORD’s authority and persists in his opposition. God sends
heavy plagues over Egypt. They were to give encouragement to Israel and warning
the Egyptians. They served to harden Pharaoh’s heart, and to make the LORD’s
name known throughout the earth.

When Pharaoh definitely refused to hear the LORD’s servant
Moses any more, God dealt the final blow: He instituted the Passover by which
Israel was spared, and sent the 10th plague which killed every
firstborn of the Egyptians. The blood of the lamb is symbolic of the blood of
Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Led by the presence of Jehovah God
manifested in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, the
Children of Israel (totaling about 2 million people) left Egypt and began their
journey to the Promised Land. When Pharaoh corners them with his army by the
Red Sea, the LORD tests their faith and shows His almighty power to deliver His
people by parting the Red Sea. The Children of Israel cross over on dry ground,
and the pursuing army of Pharaoh is completely destroyed by the waters. Faith
is trust, not in self, but in God. This event became for Old Testament Israel a
picture of God’s saving power and salvation which found completeness in Jesus
and the cross.

God continues to provide for
His complaining people. At Marah the Children of Israel complain about the lack
of water and God meets their need. In the Wilderness of Sin they complain about
the lack of food, and God miraculously satisfies their needs with the gift of
manna. At Masseh and Meribah, Israel again complains because of the lack of
water and God meet their needs. Finally God defeated the Amalakites showing His
power to save His chosen people.

At Mt. Sinai the holy God gives Moses the Ten Commandments
written on two tablets of stone, as well as other laws pertaining to their civic
and religious lives. The Law of God - this “Old Covenant” was given to the
Children of Israel to inform them that God demands holiness (perfect keeping of
the law). This covenant kept the Children of Israel together as a nation until
the time of Jesus Christ, as God promised. The Law shows us our sins. But the
Gospel – the “New Covenant” shows us our Savior Jesus Christ. Obedience to the
Law was then - and is now - always a spontaneous response to the Good News of
the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ our LORD.

While God’s servant Moses is up on Mt. Sinai receiving the
Law of God, the Children of Israel show their sinful waywardness by making and
worshiping an idol – a golden calf. God shows His mercy by not destroying them
for their unfaithfulness, but brings them back to repentance and faith in Him.

God here establishes an orderly
series of sacrifices and services for the spiritual welfare of His people and to
the glory of His name. Every Christian is called upon by God to publicly
worship Him by hearing His Word, repenting of his sins and receiving the Good
News of forgiveness through Jesus.

28.
The Twelve Spies (Numbers 13
and 14 [refer also to Deut. 1 for a rehearsal account])

OT Bible History Commentary pp. 271-274

Twelve spies (one from each
tribe of Israel) were sent into the Land of Canaan.
Their job was to scout out military
forces, survey the ecology and economy of the country, its crops and population
factors. After forty days they came back. 10 reported pessimistically – that
Israel wouldn’t be able to defeat the inhabitants. The other two spies, Joshua
and Caleb, urged the Children of Israel to go in a take the land as the LORD
promised. The people were afraid to do what the LORD commanded, showing their
faithlessness. The result was 40 years of wandering in the wilderness until
they died, and the new generation of people 20 years and younger being allowed
to enter the Promised Land.

As they wandered in the desert, the
Children of Israel again rebel against Moses and God. God sends fiery serpents
to turn their rebellious hearts back to Him. The cure was a bronze serpent set
upon a pole. This was a picture of Jesus Christ dying on the cross to cure us
from our sins. John 3: 14-16 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life.”

Moses is not allowed to lead the
Children of Israel into the Promised Land because of his sin. Joshua is
commissioned to assume the responsibilities of Moses as God commanded. Moses
gives three farewell address with the following primary points: 1) teach the
Word, 2) possess the promised land, 3)remember the LORD your God. Moses also
speaks of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would be the Prophet of
prophets. In his final words, Moses predicts what will befall Israel in the
days ahead. He rehearses the blessings which God will pour out upon Israel. He
also shows the judgments that will be their lot because of their unbelief and
perverse ways. Before Moses dies, God shows him the Promised Land from a
mountain top. God buries Moses.

Joshua takes command of the Nation of Israel. God
promises to be with him and bless him. The people also promise to obey Joshua
as they did Moses. Two spies are chosen and sent into Jericho to scout for the
coming conquest. The spies came
back convinced. “Truly Jehovah has delivered into our hands all the land, for
even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.” Jehovah
divides the waters of the Jordan River just as He had done with the Red Sea so
the Children of Israel could pass through on dry land. This assured them of His
presence and power. Joshua sets up an altar to Jehovah God and leads the people
in the worship of His name. The rite of circumcision was renewed as a sign of
God’s covenant. The nation celebrated the Passover. The manna ceased. The
Captain (Prince) of the host (army) of Jehovah appeared to Joshua. This was
Jesus, the Angel of the Lord, who had appeared to Moses at the burning bush.

God destroys
the wicked City of Jericho by the hand of Joshua and the Children of Israel,
demonstrating both His omnipotence and His holy intolerance of sin and
unbelief. Jehovah God is making good on His promise to deliver the Promised
Land. The larger picture: God has destroyed our spiritual enemies and through
faith in Christ guaranteed us heaven – the Promised Land.

The LORD raised up Gideon as a deliverer of the children of
Israel against the Midianites. After raising an army of 33,000 men, the LORD
instructed Gideon to reduce his army to 300 with which he attacked the camp of
the Midianites by night with torches and trumpets. “The LORD set every man’s
sword against his companion throughout the whole camp.” Gideon’s army of 300
defeated a superior force of 135,000 men. 40 years of peace ensued. After
Gideon’s death (some things never change), “the children of Israel again played
the harlot with the Baals” and “did not remember the LORD, their God.”

Samson, a man blessed by God
with tremendous strength, is used by God as a judge to free Israel from their
enemy the Philistines. The account of Samson is a good reminder of how honest
the Bible is. Rather than painting him as a flawless character, we find in
Samson the same sinful flesh that infects all people. As amazing as the feats
of strength which he performed with the Lord’s power is the fact that the Lord
chose to use Samson as His instrument. One cannot justify the sinful actions
that are so evident in Samson’s life; one can merely use the opportunity to
teach about God’s grace and mercy. Just as God used even the prideful Samson to
accomplish His plan for Israel, so He uses each of us, even in our weakness, to
accomplish His plan for mankind.

According to verse 1, this story
took place during the time of the judges. God tells us in Judges 17:6, "In
those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own
eyes." The book of Judges showed God's faithfulness even when His people were
unfaithful to Him. The book of Ruth shows that despite the wickedness around
about, one non-Israelite and a few Israelites faithfully followed God's will and
were richly blessed for it.

For about 450 years after Joshua's
death, Israel was a theocracy, ruled by God through the law which He had given
His people. However, the people often forgot about God and His will and
worshipped heathen idols. God would send enemies to invade their land and
afflict them. When they remembered God, repented of their sin and asked God for
help, He would send someone, a judge, to lead them against the enemy and free
the people from foreign rule. Samuel was the last of the judges. He led the
people back to the worship of the true God.

Sinful dissatisfaction over
the judges by whom God had ruled Israel led the people to demand a king like the
nations around them. God gave them a king, Saul the son of Kish. He started
well as a humble servant of God. But later he chose to ignore God's will and to
do things his own way. When he failed to destroy the Amalekites completely, God
rejected him as king.

When the Lord chose Saul to become
king, Saul was a believer. As the years went by, Saul fell from faith. He
trusted in himself and not the Lord. He rejected the Lord in his unbelief, and
the Lord rejected him as king. The Lord now chose a young man named David to
become his successor. The Lord sent the prophet Samuel to anoint David as
king.

As a young shepherd, David
trusted in the LORD to defeat Goliath - a fierce giant Philistine warrior.
He firmly believed that the Lord
could and would preserve him. We need to pray for the faith and strength to
follow David’s example. The faith David displayed was a gift from God. Our
faith is a gift from God, too. David faced a great foe. Like David, only the
Lord can deliver and save us from our spiritual enemies, and from the trials and
tribulations of life. The Lord can and will deliver us from them all.

David was anointed by Samuel
the prophet at about the age of 18. David didn’t become king until he was about
30. For 12 years David waited to become king while Saul sat on the throne.
During this time the Lord was preparing David. Saul made David’s life very
miserable. Again and again he tried to kill him. David was hunted like an
outlaw. During these years of adversity, the Lord strengthened David
spiritually. During these years David wrote some of his greatest, and most
beautiful psalms. With the Lord’s blessing, he became one of the best kings
Israel ever had.

David was a great king of Israel.
Scripture describes him as “a man after God’s own heart.” He was very concerned
about both the temporal and spiritual welfare of his people. He was inspired by
the holy Spirit to write and record many hymns and prayers in the Book of
Psalms. David, however, was not beyond temptation and sin. The devil succeeded
in leading him into two grievous sins-adultery and murder. By God’s grace, he
was brought to repentance and restored to God’s family. Some of his greatest
psalms reflect his experiences.

After David’s great fall into sin,
the Lord announced that he would experience some great trials within his
family. These words were fulfilled when David’s son Absalom rebelled against
his father and tried to steal the kingdom from him. Absalom was very handsome
and had beautiful hair, but he was very vain and proud. Even though Absalom
succeeded in turning the hearts of many and raising an army, he was defeated and
killed by Joab, David’s General. David grieved him.

King David’s son, Solomon, is
appointed to rule in his place when he dies. Solomon became a world famous
king, noted for his wisdom and his wealth. He begins his rule like his father
David and like King Saul; a God-fearing, obedient child of God. The most
prominent event in his life was the building of the magnificent and
extraordinarily beautiful house of God, the temple in Jerusalem. Solomon built
the temple not to enhance or further his own fame and glory, but to glorify God
and to further the spread of His spiritual kingdom on earth. He would give to
God the best he and his people had to offer.

King Solomon, in his later life, was led to the worship of
false gods by his many wives. The LORD told him that He would tear the kingdom
from him and give it to his servant. This happened after Solomon’s death.
Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, was the rightful heir to the throne. But Jeroboam,
Solomon’s former servant, was made king of the Northern ten tribes – henceforth
known as “Israel.” Rehoboam was made king of the Southern two tribes of Judah
and Benjamin – henceforth known as “Judah.” Both Kings led the people into idol
worship. The one true God did not abandon His people, but sent His prophets to
bring His Word.

Elijah is sent by God to proclaim His Word to wicked King
Ahab. God sends a drought upon the land for their idolatry. The LORD provides
for Elijah’s well-being in miraculous ways. First, Elijah is fed by the
ravens. Then, a widow cares for him with the miracle of a jar of oil that
doesn’t run out and a bin of flour that doesn’t go empty. Elijah raises the
widow’s son from the dead.

Elijah announces the end of
the drought and calls King Ahab to repent of his wickedness. Elijah calls all of
Israel to make a choice: “If the LORD is God, follow Him. If Baal, then follow
him.” They are silent – showing the terrible effects of false teaching. Elijah
sets up a stand-off with the 450 prophets of Baal. The sacrifice whose fire is
lit by their god is the true God. The LORD gives a great demonstration that He
is the one true God, not the Baals of the false priests of King Ahab and Queen
Jezebell. The 450 false prophets are killed.

Elijah had to flee from the
wrath of Queen Jezebel. He is depressed and cast down because of the unbelief
of Israel. The LORD in this lesson gives Elijah and us a lesson in how He
preserves His people – through His “still small voice” – His Word. Our Lord
wishes for us to realize that, as we work with Him and for Him He has given us a
special duty. He has not asked much of us. He has simply invited us to share
the blessings in Christ, which He has given to us. The only way we can fail is
if we refuse to give His love to others. Our success is simply in the doing of
it.

King Ahab covets Naboth’s
vineyard. When he can’t purchase it, he pouts to Queen Jezebel, who plans and
carries out Naboth’s false trial and finally his murder. God sends the prophet
Elijah to stand up to the Ahab and Jezebel and proclaim their dishonorable
deaths due to their wickedness. A Godless life always leads to disaster in time
and, unless there is repentance, for eternity.

The prophet Elijah has an assistant named Elisha. When
Elijah strikes his mantle on the water of the Jordon, the river parts for their
crossing. The LORD hereby shows His support and approval of His servant.
Elijah and the chariot and horses of fire are taken up into heaven by a
whirlwind. Elisha takes up Elijah’s mantle and the LORD shows His approval of
him with the same miracle of the parting the Jordon. Elisha carries on as God’s
prophet.

Naaman is the commander of the
Syrian army. He has leprosy. One of his slave girls from Israel tells him of
the prophet Elisha who can cure him. A meeting is arranged. Elisha sends
simple instructions to dip in the Jordon River seven times. The Lord, through
Elisha, heals Naaman of his leprosy. This lesson teaches us not to despise the
Gospel for its simplicity.

Jonah is called, flees, and is
swallowed by a great fish before he carries the Lord's call to repentance to the
great city of Nineveh. Our omnipotent God exercises His power in love, desiring
all men to repent and be saved.

Chapter 17 deals with Israel's
fall and the reasons for that fall - idolatry. Chapters 18 and 19 stand in
contrast, for there we read that the same Assyrian military threat that
destroyed Israel was turned away from Judah because of faithful obedience to the
Lord on the part of Judah under King Hezekiah. Chapter 20 deals with Hezekiah's
sickness and recovery, again emphasizing that the Lord is ready and willing to
bless us when we turn to Him in time of need rather than to idols.

Though the reforms brought by
Josiah were indeed God-pleasing, the evil wrought in the early part of
Manasseh's reign was not easily undone. The Jews had broken the conditional
covenant God had made with them as a nation (Exodus 19-24) and therefore God no
longer acted as their national defender. However the covenant that God would
send a Savior from the Jews was an unconditional covenant, therefore God
preserved a remnant in Babylon to fulfill His promise. Because of her idolatry
and perversion, Judah is delivered over to her enemies; but a faithful remnant
is preserved, both in Judah and in Babylonia. Though God punishes those who
reject Him, He preserves His children and keeps His promises.

As a young man, Daniel is
taken into captivity and deported to Babylonia along with other young people
from Judah. He is blessed by the LORD and raised and educated in King
Nebuchadnezzar’s courts as a future wise man or councilor. The King has a
disturbing dream and demands not only the telling of it, but also its
interpretation. God blesses Daniel with the ability to do both. The dream
tells of the plans of God’s Kingdom using Nebuchadnezzar’s earthly kingdom.
Earthly kingdoms rise and fall; The KINGDOM OF GOD destroys all earthly kingdoms
and shall stand forever.

Certain Chaldeans accused
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego of failing to fall down and worship a 90’ image
of King Nebuchadnezzar. Accusers were political opponents of the three men of
Judah. Enraged by the fact that anyone would dare to disobey his command,
Nebuchadnezzar had them thrown into a fiery furnace. They were not harmed, and
a fourth Man appeared with them in the furnace – the Son of God. God preserved
these men and gave them favor in the king’s sight.

King Darius ruled the Medo/Persian
kingdom and placed 3 governors over 120 satraps. Daniel was one of the
govenours. The other governors and satraps were jelous of Daniel and ploted to
have him killed. They come up with a statute forbidding anyone from petitioning
God or man for thirty days, except the king. Disobedience punishable by death
in the lions' den. Flattered and unthinking, Darius passed the irrevocable
law. To the king’s dismay, Daniel was brought up on charges and thrown into the
lions den. The LORD shut the mouth’s of the lions and preserved Daniel’s life.
The next day the King brought Daniel out and threw his accusers into the lion’s
den.

Xerxes held a banquet, ordered
Queen Vashti to appear so he could show off her beauty, but she refused to
come. Xerxes had her deposed as queen and ordered an empire-wide beauty contest
to be held to find a new queen. Esther was chosen. She was a cousin of
Mordecai who appears to have been a minor official in the Persian Court. Enter
Haman, an officer of the King who hated Mordecai because he refused to honor him
by bowing down to him. Haman plotted the destruction of all Jews in the empire.
His plot backfired to his own destruction and blessing for the Jews. God
preserved the remnant of His people through the Jewish woman Esther.

Ezra relates the story of two
returns from Babylon: the first led by Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple (Ezra
1-6), and the second under the leadership of Ezra, the scribe, to rebuild the
spiritual condition of the people (Ezra 7-10). Sandwiched between these two
accounts is a gap of nearly sixty years. Nehemiah is a contemporary of Ezra and
leads the third and last return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.
Nehemiah challenges God’s people to rebuild the shattered walls of Jerusalem.
In spite of opposition, the walls are rebuilt in only fifty-two days.